Toast
by stellarzebras
Summary: Bread and fire, makes toast, makes sense right? It makes sense to Peeta, but will he be able to convince the rest of Panem? Reviews are welcome, along with constructive criticism. I will be posting more this weekend, I hope you enjoy it!
1. Chapter 1

All around me, all I feel is the sun s blistering warmth. All I smell is the overpowering, sweet scent of the meadow s wildflowers. All I hear is the mocking jay s incredibly beautiful songs. Then I see her, Katniss. She is incased in radiance, and I am overcome by a wave of happiness. I can t help but smile as she runs towards me, laughing. As she embraces me, I am overwhelmed by the smell of freshly picked fruit and flower blossoms. I pick her up and spin her around until I get dizzy and fall to the ground, and she lands on top of me, still laughing.

She is wearing a dress that is as blue as the clear summer sky, and her grey eyes are sparkling like the stars. Her long, dark, and wavy hair is down instead of in her traditional braid. I love her hair when it is like this, it frames her face perfectly. She helps me to my feet and leads me to a picnic she has laid out for us. And just as I bite into one of the blackberries, and the bitterly sweet taste explodes across my tongue, is when I wake up.

I can t help but notice that I am smiling, and that is when reality sets in. I am overcome by a sadness that I am used to by now, it s a special sadness that I only feel when I realize that I will probably never be able to call her mine. As I wipe the sleep from my eyes, I look around the room that I share with my two older brothers, Balep and Rye, I see that they are still fast asleep. Balep is 20 years old. He is tall and muscular with dark brown hair and almond brown eyes, he favors my father. He is engaged to his soon to be wife, Puri, whose family own the sweet shop in town. Rye is 19 years old. He is medium height and slender with black hair and green eyes, he favors my mother. And then there is me, I am 16 years old, I am medium height and muscular. I have wavy blonde hair that basically does whatever it wants to do and blue eyes, I favor both of my parents; but nobody knows where I got my blonde hair and blue eyes. My mother has always made it a point to drill into my brain that I was an accident, and she never wanted three sons.

I decide that I should get up and start my day, today is especially dreadful, today is the one day out of the year that the capitol of our country, Panem, sets aside to come into the 12 districts that surround it and choose one boy and one girl, called tributes, to go to the Capitol. They go to the capitol to be prepared to fight to the death in a vast outdoor arena. The last tribute standing out of the initial 24 is crowned the victor. When they return to their district they are showered in gifts, so is their district. They are then promoted to the status of a mentor, they then mentor the tributes from their district in all of the hunger games after that.

The Reaping will take place in our district s square at two o clock, I live in District 12. So until then I take up my usual daily routine, I easily move the three, 100 pound sacks of flour to the back of the bakery, that my parents own. Our house is right above the bakery and I work in it every day after schools and any days I have off. Then I decide to get started on the bread, and while I leave the dough to rise I start frosting and decorating the cupcakes. After what I guess is about two hours my father walks in, he pats me on the back and tells me I did a good job on the cupcakes, but he s trying not to laugh. Then I see what he is seeing, I frosted 32 cupcakes, with a perfect Katniss flower on each one. He just smiles and laughs as I try not to blush.

My dad is the only person that knows how I feel about Katniss. He understands how I feel, because he was once in love with her mother, and if you ask me he still is. We are just about to put the second round of bread in the oven when there is a knock at the door. My stomach is just starting to fill with butterflies, because I know it is Katniss, but then I am disappointed when gale is standing in the doorway. He has two squirrels that have arrow holes in their stomach s, definitely not shot by Katniss. She always shoots her kills in the eyes so as not to damage the meat. As Gale leaves with the loaf of bread that he traded the squirrels for I am saddened because I know that he is off to meet Katniss in the woods that surrounds our district. They have been hunting together for the past four years, ever since both of their fathers were killed in a mining explosion. They both hunt out there illegally, but nobody sells them out because we are all starving here in District 12 and their game is good food.

My father begins skinning the squirrels and preparing them in a stew for breakfast, my brothers come down and join us, we are all laughing and having a good time, which is a rarity here. Then my mother walks in and yells at us to all shut up. We all continue to eat our breakfast in silence and wait until noon when we all head to the town square.

As I wait in the area roped off for boys the age of 16, ahead of me I see Gale in the 18 year old area, I can t help but feel bad for him; after all his name is entered in 42 times. Then I see Katniss and I make a promise to myself that no matter what, after the Reaping I will talk to her, for the first time, ever, In my life. This is when the mayor takes his place at the podium, on the temporary stage set up in front of the Justice Building. He begins his speech about the Hunger Games, and how the country of Panem rose up out of the ashes of the place once called North America. Then he starts in about how the, then 13 districts, surrounding the Capitol, rebelled against the Capitol. Sadly the districts were defeated and the Capitol obliterated the thirteenth. As a result we got the Hunger Games, a reminder that we can never let that happen again.

The mayor introduces our district s escort, Effie Trinket, who is wearing a intensely pink wig and a spring green suit. She give us her usual signature, Happy hunger games! And may the odds be ever in your favor! in her usual starchy Capitol accent. Then she taunts Ladies first! and trots over to the glass bowl containing all the girls names. I find that all I can think about is how Katniss has her name on 20 of those slips of paper. As Effie grabs the piece of paper and trots back to the podium, I secretly wish that it s not Katniss. And then she calls out the name on the slip of paper, Primrose Everdeen! and it hits me who that is, Katniss s little sister.

What happens next really shouldn t have surprised me as much as it did, as prim passes her sister, with her hands clenched into a fist, Katniss grabs her and stands in front of her. She then screams out I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute! she then makes her way across the stage. Everything after this is a blur to me as I try to control my emotions. But before I know it Effie is digging around in the boy tributes glass bowl. She crosses back to the podium with the slip of paper, and calls out the name on it, Peeta Mellark! 


	2. Chapter 2

"Did I hear her correctly? Did she just say my name?" is all I can think.

Apparently so because I find myself moving involuntarily toward the stage. As I make my way across the stage and stand in front of the whole district, all I feel is shock and dread. Then I see Katniss, standing across from me and I suddenly form a plan in my head. Just looking at her calms me down enough to notice how hard she is trying to hide her emotions. But I know her too well, I mean trust me after you have been in love with a girl for eleven years, you end up being able to read their face. I can see in her eyes she is terrified, but determined; determined to win for her sister.

As I shake her hand, I can't help but notice how right it feels to hold her hand in mine. I can't help but want to grab her and take her away from this place, take her away from all of this torture that is sure to come, and run away with her. But I know that I can't, I mean, they would shoot us before we even got off the stage. So instead I settle for giving her hand an encouraging squeeze, but for some reason she has a strange look in her eyes, like she doesn't understand that I am just trying to comfort her. I just brush it off as fear of what is to come, instead of fretting over it. After the anthem plays we turn back o the crowd for a minute, and as I look out over the square I know that this will be the last time that I see it. That it has to be the last time, because Katniss is the one that has to come back. My plan is to protect her for as long as I can, even though that means that I will never return home. But if it means she is safe I know I will not die in vain.

As the peacekeepers escort us into the Justice building and close the doors behind us I am escorted to a separate room and left alone to wait; to wait for my family to come by and say their goodbyes. As I look around the room I notice how nice it is in here, there is deep, soft carpets, and couches that were made out of velvet. As I sit on the couch waiting for my family, I can't help but think about Katniss. I start to worry about Prim, her sister is everything to her; of course all this does is fuel my determination to protect her.

Balep and Rye are the first people to come and see me, I can tell that rye is trying to hold it in as he starts to talk to me.

"You have to promise to come home, because without you I'm stuck alone with that witch of a mother we have. And you can't do that to me! Plus nobody else can frost cakes as well as you, or bake like you can. And you're my little brother, I wish I could have been a year younger! I could have volunteered for you!" he manages to say before he lets a few tears go.

It looks like Balep is in complete shock over the whole situation, all he does is stand there with a few tear stains, glistening on his cheek. Then my parents come in, my dad rushes to my and gives me a big hug. He starts telling me what little he knows about survival and fighting. Then my mother chimes in,

"well! District 12 might actually have a winner this year!" and I feel shocked, does she actually have faith in me? "She's a fighter that one!" she finishes.

Of course she didn't mean me, she hates me, when I die out there she probably won't even blink.

The peacekeepers come in and take me away, but not before Balep and Rye tackle me with a big hug, this is when Rye starts to really cry. I just tell him that I will win for him and come home, which I know won't happen but I want him to feel a little better. They both tell me they love me; which is the first time they have ever told me that, then they are all gone. Then there is a knock at the door, and just as I am about to open it, Gale rushes in. I just stand there speechless as he paces around the room. When he stops in front of me I can she the same emotionless mask he has on his face, just like Katniss.

"I need to ask you a favor." he tells me.

"Ok, what do you need?"

He is silent for a minute, then he shakes his head and starts to walk to the door, and I hear what he is mumbling "what am I doing, I can't ask this of you. I don't even know you."

I stop him and blurt out what I know he is thinking, "don't worry, I am going to protect her as much as I can. I want her to come back home just as much as you do."

He just stands there with a look of utter shock on his face, "why would you do that for her? I didn't think you guys knew each other?"

"Well we don't actually, I just know how much she is needed here, and I could never forgive myself if I didn't help her. Even though she would hate me if she knew what I was planning."

He has this look of relief and guilt on his face. "Than you Peeta. That means a lot to me and her family. You're an alright guy."

I say thank you as he rushes out the door to go see Katniss, no doubt.

After the hour allotted to tributes for their goodbyes is up, me and Katniss are escorted by a squad of peacekeepers to the train station. I try to mimic Katniss's expressionless mask because of all the cameras, but I can tell I am probably fooling nobody. As we board the train I am in awe of how fancy it is, I am lead down a hallway past a room that has polished walls and beautiful decorations in it, I'm sure they cost more than all of district twelve. I am given my own room that is the size of my entire house, and I am told that dinner is in a hour, and everything is at my disposal.

The first thing I decide to do is take a shower, the only problem is that I have no idea how to work one. Back home we had a tub that we had to heat water on the stove and pour into it so we would have a worm bath. And to make matters worse, this shower has a panel of like a hundred different options on it. I decide that the button that has water and soap icons on it. When I'm done I step out onto a mat that activates things that blow air all over my body and instantly dries me. My hair, which is usually a knotted mess that always chose to ignore, is blown dry and detangled.

I put on a pair of brown pants and a grey t-shirt and head to dinner. As I wait for everybody else to arrive a person comes out of the kitchen and sets a basket of bread on the table, along with bowls of different fruit preserves. Effie comes trotting through the door a few seconds later. Then I see Katniss come through the door, she is wearing a dark green blouse and black pants, I find that she looks really nice in green, it brings out her eyes.

"Where's Haymitch?" ask Effie, in her usual perky voice. Haymitch is our District's only living victor, he serves as our mentor during the Games, he is also our town drunk. he lives in the victors village, which is a special village built for the victors of the Games to live in when they return home.

"Last time I saw him, he said he was going to take a nap." I say to her.

"Well it's been an exhausting day." replies Effie. She actually seems to be relieved to not have him around for dinner tonight.

They bring the dinner out to us in several courses. A thick carrot soup, green salad, lamb chops and mashed potatoes, cheese and fruit, and a chocolate cake. Throughout the meal Effie keeps reminding us to save room because more is coming. But all of this is so good, that I can't help but eat all that I can. Besides, the best thing I can do between now and the Games is to put on a few pounds.

"At least you two have decent manners," chimes Effie as we are finishing one of the courses. "The pair last year ate everything with their hands like a couple of savages. It completely upset my digestion."

I remember the pair from last year, they were from the part of our district nicknamed the Seam, and they never had enough to eat a day in their lives. I also know that Katniss is from there. I can't help but laugh when she makes it a point to finish the rest of the meal with her hands, she even goes as far as using the nice tablecloth as a napkin. I just smile at her when she's done. And I realize that this just makes me like her even more, she is her own person, and she stands up for who she is and where she comes from.

After the meal I have to struggle to keep everything down, I can see that Katniss is having the same problem as well. Then Effie tells us that it is time to watch the other Reapings. We go into another compartment to watch them, as we watch one after another I try to keep track of every tribute that is chosen, since after all I will be fighting them in a few days. I take special notice of the careers, I am saddened to see that the boy from District 4 and the girl from District 11 seem to be only about 12 years old. Then we are watching the District 12 Reaping, I see Katniss volunteer and take her place on stage as Gale is dragging Prim off. Then I see me, and I can tell that my attempt to seem emotionless is shot, my face is nothing but shock and fear, well that's just great. Effie is upset about the state her wig was in.

"Your mentor has a lot to learn about presentation. A lot about televised behavior." trills Effie. This makes me laugh for a reason that I don't even know.

"He was drunk," I say. "He's drunk every year." which is completely true, Haymitch lives his entire life drunk.

"Every day!" adds Katniss. She smirks at her comment. She has a cute smirk, it's sort of a side smile, but better. We both start laughing at Haymitch's expense.

"Yes," Effie hisses out of exasperation. "How odd you two fins it amusing. You know your mentor is your only lifeline to the world in these Games. The one who advises you, lines up your sponsors, and dictates the presentation of any gifts. Haymitch can well be the difference between your life and your death!"

As if on cue, Haymitch stumbles into the room. "Did I miss supper?" then he vomits all over the floor, and as if too add emphasis to how useless he is as a drunk, he falls into the pile of vomit. Nice I think to myself, no he smells even worse.

"So laugh away!" yells Effie. She then storms out of the room. That's when I notice how upset she is, but I don't worry about it. She will be back to her perky self tomorrow.

Katniss and I decide to take Haymitch back to his room, but before this happens he tries to get up but does not succeed. As we hoist him up to his feet, he looks at the scene.

"I tripped?" he asks. "Smells bad ." he then proceeds to wipe his face with his hand, which just smears vomit across his face.

We take Haymitch back to his room, we then place him in the bathtub so he doesn't get vomit on anything nice. I notice how uncomfortable Katniss is with this situation. I decide that she doesn't need to experience Haymitch getting a bath.

"It's ok, I'll take it from here." I tell her. She seems to be grateful that I didn't make her stay, can't say I blame her.

"All right, I can send one of the Capitol people to help you," she offers. But I don't want to bother anyone with this.

"No. I don't want them," I tell her. She nods and heads back to her own room to sleep.

I decide to leave Haymitch's underpants on, besides the vomit doesn't seem to have gotten to them. After hose him off I the shower, I help him put on some flannel pants, and then help him into his bed. He is instantly asleep, and I notice that he snores; quite loudly too. I leave his room and head to mine, once inside I remove my shirt, and change into a pair of cotton pants. I then collapse onto my bed, I am beyond exhausted from this long day. The bed is so plush and warm, compared to my canvas cot and scratchy blanket I have back home. I am swept off to dreamless night almost immediately after my head hit's the pillow.

***Authors Note***

**Ok, so I am sorry about the first chapter, I actually had all the punctuations, and indentations. But when I uploaded it from my friends computer, it took them all out. But I hope that this chapter is better for reading. Can't wait to post the next one. : ) **


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